The Present Disclosure relates, generally, to optical fiber assemblies, and, more particularly, to an optical fiber assembly with laser cleaved optical fibers.
Systems for interconnecting optical fibers typically utilize mating ferrule assemblies to facilitate handling and accurate positioning of the fibers. The optical fibers are secured within a ferrule body with an end surface of each fiber being positioned generally flush with or slightly protruding from an end face of the ferrule body.
During assembly, the optical fibers are typically inserted into a ferrule and then cleaved or cut to a desired length. In use, the end surfaces or faces of each of the optical fibers must be sufficiently smooth, to permit signals in the form of light transmissions to pass through the end faces without any significant degradation or back-reflection of the signals. In addition, it is typically desirable to position the end faces of the optical fibers in a common plane for subsequent mating with another component. In some instances, the end faces may be considered coplanar if they are within one micron of a common plane.
In some instances, the optical fibers may be mechanically cleaved. While mechanical cleaving may result in relatively rough end faces, the end faces are then typically mechanical polished so that they are sufficiently smooth and lie in a common plane. Such mechanical polishing of the optical fibers typically requires costly materials such as polishing paper and/or films and is time consuming. In addition, the process must be carefully monitored to maintain the polishing angle at a right angle to the axes of the optical fibers or the axis of a multi-fiber cable.
Laser cleaving may cleave or cut the optical fibers and produce end faces on the optical fibers that do not require polishing. However, the end faces of laser cleaved optical fibers may not lie in a common plane (i.e., within one μm of a common plane). Laser cleaved end faces may vary in length by 15 μm or more. When using multi-fiber cable, movement of the individual optical fibers to position the end faces in a common plane may be problematic, as movement of one fiber may cause movement of an adjacent fiber. Accordingly, an easily manufactured optical fiber assembly with optical fibers having laser cleaved end faces is desirable.